I want to become well versed in wines

Any amateur or professional Somalians in here to help with that?

I'm pretty sure Somalians are better with piracy

Forgot to add sommelier

Wally wrote: I'm pretty sure Somalians are better with piracy Forgot to add sommelier

I know I was making an off color joke, but I do want to become knowledgeable about wines

First step is to join the Wine Berserkers forum. Plenty to learn from there.

First step is to not drink wine and learn beer. Beer is better.

Sine_Qua_Non wrote: First step is to join the Wine Berserkers forum. Plenty to learn from there.

I read that and thought, why would anyone berkeley wine. Then I read it again and thought, I've never met a berserk wind drinker.

My knowledge: If you don't know what you're doing, it is safer to go with a Chilean wine than anything else.

That is obviously not an all-encompassing statement that Chilean wine is better than any others, just kinda like saying "Toyota is better than most brands if you don't know what you're doing"

Also, great article on the subject: http://www.forbes.com/forbes-life-magazine/1999/1030/112.html

mndsm wrote: First step is to not drink wine and learn beer. Beer is better.

Learning wine would give me something in common with SWMBO and her senior level white collar coworkers

mtn wrote: My knowledge: If you don't know what you're doing, it is safer to go with a Chilean wine than anything else. That is obviously not an all-encompassing statement that Chilean wine is better than any others, just kinda like saying "Toyota is better than most brands if you don't know what you're doing"

I second this, but would expand it a bit. What I look for are wines at respectable price points ($12-$25) from locations that have good climate, but not cache to their names. South American (Argentian and Chilean) I think are the best value/$ in wine. A $20-$25 bottle of Argentinian wine will kick the ass of a $60 wine from Napa or France.

Other good growing regions to look for Lodi, CA and Mosel, Germany.

Oh, and the best champagne you will ever enjoy is a beer: Deus, Brut des Flanders.

(This beer actually has the right to call itself a Champagne - moreso than most sparkling wines you find. It is actually bottled and finished by a winery in Champagne.)

Boones farm wine is brightly colored, tastes like koolaid and is like 3$

nepa03focus wrote: Boones farm wine is brightly colored, tastes like koolaid and is like 3$

You forgot to add that its awesome

You can also learn on Netflix. Documentary called Somm. Talks about what it takes to pass the Master Sommelier Exam.

Oh yes yes of course

ryanty22 wrote:

nepa03focus wrote: Boones farm wine is brightly colored, tastes like koolaid and is like 3$

You forgot to add that its awesome

Rule #1: wine is for women.
Rule #2: liquor is for men.

ryanty22 wrote:

mndsm wrote: First step is to not drink wine and learn beer. Beer is better.

Learning wine would give me something in common with SWMBO and her senior level white collar coworkers

So, I'd start by visiting some local wineries and doing some tastings. I'm relatively certain the Richard Childress winery is close by to you. It's not going to be the best stuff ever, but that's not the point. The point is to go and taste wine in a focused way, so that you start moving beyond "I like that/I don't like that" and towards "OK, this Riesling tastes a little bit like a grapefruit" or "This Cabernet Sauvignon kinda tastes a bit like tobacco smells". And while you're there, try to get a tour of the place to get a peek into the process. From there, it's a matter of trying a lot of different stuff. You'll develop a taste preference, and it may be different from everyone else's, but that's okay.

As a bonus, if you head up to the right wineries (e.g. Blenheim Vineyards or Afton Mountain Vineyards in VA), the roads leading up to the wineries are an absolute BLAST. One of the most fun days I've ever had behind the wheel of a vehicle was hooning an E150 around on the Monticello wine trail way faster than that van had any right to be going.

I know all about wine. There's belt wine, gear wine, bearing wine, bitch wine, differential wine, and this one:

Watch a show called "James May's Road Trip". There's one season in Europe and one in the USA where an expert sommelier teaches James about wine. Its a good show and its not all snobby.

Lancer007 wrote: Watch a show called "James May's Road Trip". There's one season in Europe and one in the USA where an expert sommelier teaches James about wine. Its a good show and its not all snobby.

I do like captain slow

First step is taste. A lot. When you do, pay attention to what you like and what you don't - this will be the easy part. The part that requires careful consideration and that will develop your palette is determining WHY you like or don't like it. The latter is tricky when you first start out. Identifying particular tastes, smells, and other characteristics when they're intermingled is not always easy, but doing so allows you to better understand what's going on in a given vintage.

The cheapest way to get hammered is box/jug wine, the whites have less sugar, and thus less of a hangover. Though for slightly more money, steel reserve or ~6% ice beer is slightly more stomachable IMO.

Is that what we're talking about in here?

On a serious note, I'm pretty sure much of "wine tasting" is snobbery and bullE36 M3, drink what you like.

My wife and I have taken a few classes at the local community college. I think we've done 6 of them...

Each term has I think 3 weeks and you cover a region. Each class is 2+ hours long. The first hour is geography and varietals, and the second hour is tasting. We got to know most of the group and would all bring different foods to pair with the wines. A few times we had some special wines that people brought in to share.

IIRC, its something like $100 per term. We had 6-7 samples at each class and I it didn't seem like bad deal at all. France was a real deal as we were drinking some expensive stuff.

Find what you like and have fun!

Start with a couple of books. I really like Jeff Cox's book, from vines to wines. He talks about tasting, wine appreciation, growing grapes, and making wine. It's nice to have an overview of the whole process. There are several 'wine course' books you can find as well.

Next step is up to you. Books are OK, but it's nice to taste and learn from experience. Are you near a wine growing region? Visiting vineyards and doing tastings would be a great start. Tell them what you are trying to do; learn more. Or you could find a University/College that offers tasting courses. Those are also a good way to go.

Remember to have fun. Wine still has a stuffy air to it sometimes, but most people involved with the business are not. They love wine and are more than willing to share their knowledge.

I will add that most wine stores have regular tastings at very reasonable prices. I am for some reason always wanting to try dry south african reds.